Chapter 542 — Obstruction
Blade of Dawn · Page 4 of 4
"Look on the bright side," Victoria said suddenly in a quiet voice after a moment of silence. "At least the matter of the new king's coronation won it support."
Baiyu Franklin showed a faintly mocking smile. "Indeed. Compared with building a factory on their lands, getting them to back the king really is a small thing."
Having said this, the Duke of the West, clearly in low spirits, rose to his feet. He looked toward the exit of the long hall, and after several seconds of silence spoke slowly: "The town council proposal is very likely to fail. This reform is too radical—we can postpone it, and the schools as well, we can postpone those too—but the new factories we must have, at any cost we must have them, or we shall forever have our throats gripped by the Cecil folk."
Baiyu Franklin departed.
Victoria watched the Duke of the West's retreating figure and for a long while said nothing.
Welsh Moen's voice broke the silence in the hall: "Duchess Wilder, did Duke Gao Yang Cecil truly state to you that day that he had no interest in the Ansu throne?"
Victoria nodded. "He did indeed say so."
"Oh..." Welsh Moen nodded placidly, then slowly rose as well. "Then I shall take my leave first. Please, make yourself at home."
At last only Victoria remained in the long hall.
The Queen of the North gazed at this empty place, at this place that not long ago had been filled with clamor and contention, and stood there for a long, long time.
A sigh, faint as though it might not exist at all, rose in the long hall, and amid the swirling snowflakes her figure vanished beside the throne.
The snowflakes wrought of condensed magic drifted apart and scattered, and the last few crystalline flakes settled upon the portrait of Francis II hanging behind the throne, melted into water, and slowly dripped down.